Accordion Thieves Strike Again

Talk about an accordion crime. Police in Costa Mesa, CA, are on the lookout for thieves who stole an antique accordion from a crowded parking lot on Sunday. Gigi Rabe had the accordion in the trunk of her car when she pulled into the Plaza West shopping center. She got out of her car, opened her trunk, and then stepped away to greet some friends who pulled up. When she returned, her accordion was gone.

Rabe is an accomplished accordionist working on a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at UCLA, and the accordion — a rare, vintage Dallape — is valued at $10,000. Police think it’s an “opportunist-type crime” and doubt the thieves knew they were stealing an accordion. Keep your eyes peeled; if you see a classic Dallape accordion on Craigslist, eBay, or your local pawn shop’s window display, you might want to give the Costa Mesa police a ring.

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8 Comments:

Keep us posted. Hang in there, Gigi!

This story disproves the old accordion joke:

An accordion player stopped for a drink on his way home from a gig. Just as he entered the bar he remembered his accordion was in plain view in the back seat and he had forgotten to lock the car. He spun around, ran back to his car, but he was two late. Someone had left two more accordions on the back seat.

Hey – thanks for getting this out there. Yeah, I know that joke someone had reminded me of it only a few days before this happened so trust it was fresh on my mind! The story ran on KCAL Channel 9 today (S. Cal) so I’m hoping it helps. What a bummer. I never thought that anyone could get away with such a big, bulky, heavy instrument but they were really slick…BTW I’m on a leave of absence from my Ph.D. & hope to go back soon. Thanks again for caring about a fellow accordionist! Best wishes – “Gee”

I have a Anderson System Dallape, I have had it for more than 20 years and am considering selling it. I know nothing about accordians, live in Austin Texas, and would appreciate a local place to get it appraised and checked out. Thank you.